


Eating Pizza Beneath the Pizza

by sanctum_c



Series: Pizza Fic [1]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comfort Food, F/M, Ignoring Crisis Core, Pizza, mentions of Zack/Aerith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-02
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-05-04 15:06:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5338571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctum_c/pseuds/sanctum_c
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Pizza delivery. This was now his life. Well part of his life. Part of his working life. Cloud scowled and sighed as he trudged through through Sector Five. Botching the SOLDIER recruitment had been disappointing enough, but managing to piss off the army recruitment officer had been a kick while he was down. And with his goal now impossible and without even the vague promise of enlisting in the army and re-applying to SOLDIER later, he had little left to aspire to. </i>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <i>Cloud rapped on the door and waited. He glanced up as the door opened and forgot what he was going to say. A girl - about his age - stood framed in the doorway. She was wearing a pink summer dress, her eyes a bright green. Her cheeks looked flushed, stray wisps of hair escaping a braid topped off with a pink ribbon. She had a streak of mud on her nose. On her cheeks. More across the bodice of her dress and right down onto the skirt. "Pizza!" she exclaimed, her gaze dropping to the box Cloud held. "How much?"</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eating Pizza Beneath the Pizza

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the following prompt from Danseru:
> 
> _Cloud is a pizza boy and Aerith is sad over her break-up with Zack/Zack moved to another city or even non-Zack reasons like unemployment or her flowers destroyed by pests. She eats to ease her pain and Cloud keeps on delivering her pizza every day and eventually talks to her. Friendship/flirtation ensures or even more._

Pizza delivery. This was now his life. Well part of his life. Part of his working life. Cloud scowled and sighed as he trudged through through Sector Five. Botching the SOLDIER recruitment had been disappointing enough, but managing to piss off the army recruitment officer had been a kick while he was down. And with his goal now impossible and without even the vague promise of enlisting in the army and re-applying to SOLDIER later, he had little left to aspire to. He could go back home; back to Nibelheim, hidden away in the mountains. Back to the same smarmy adults who blamed him for so much and insisted he was no good for anything. Back to his mother who would welcome him without another word, but whom he was sure would remain secretly disappointed in her son. No. He did not want to go back to that.

That left living on his own and without support. SOLDIERs and other military personnel made Junon crowded. Finding even a crummy run-down apartment in the upper city would have ravaged his finances too badly to begin trying to sort his life out. Not that there was a huge amount of work there. A few shops, a few bars, or somehow gain employment with either SOLIDER or Shinra themselves. He could have gone to live in the lower city and tried not to watch the remnants of the fishing community try to hold their own lives together while he went to the upper city each day where things were better to try and find work. No. No, he could not do that. Rent was cheap in Midgar was a common refrain among those having difficulties. No choice then.

Nibelheim had always smelt of mako - the absence of it very noticeable when he arrived in Junon. A few techs liked to brag to the incoming recruits and SOLDIER wannabes that it was due to the unique under-sea reactor the city had. Upon arrival in Midgar it seemed he had almost gotten used to not smelling the cloying scent; the stench of eight mako reactors was almost overwhelming in comparison. His wincing attempt to ward off the smell immediately marked him out as a newcomer and a subject of much ridicule. Once over that obstacle, it soon turned out that Midgar was not that better for rent than Junon. Almost out of options. Unless he turned to the slums.

The underside of Midgar was a little less depressing than Junon's. Whatever individuality the villages below once had was long gone; scoured away by the advancement of the metal sky above them. The heat hit him with near physical force as he stepped off the train and glanced around the twilight world. Better rent here. More job opportunities for those without qualifications. And unexpected surprises. Turned out even if Shinra wrote a paycheck it frequently was was not enough to get everyone the cushy lifestyle the adverts used to boast of. Several people in business suits made the journey to the upper plate each day, casting shifty glances at their fellow passengers and always on edge as they rushed through the streets. How rich did one have to be to live in the sky? Cloud shook his head. Far too rich.

Why was he not going home? He had contemplated the notion a few times, and a downpour falling through the plate-division while ferrying this pizza had only made his mood a little worse and the desire to slink back a little stronger. No. Keep on going. The damp clothes would pass and he would get back to something resembling comfortable with his position soon enough. Cost was the main limiting factor. Getting back home on foot was possible but very, very arduous and he was not sure he wanted to figure out how long that would take. Accommodation along the way could easily become extortionate and even getting back to Junon was pricey. He was here now and he was going to make it on his own. Anything to avoid going back home, defeated and with little choice but to apologize to Tifa Lockhart for breaking that promise. The first person to believe in him outside of his immediate family and he had messed up on his almost instantly.

"Completely failed there," Cloud muttered to himself. There were some furtive movements further down the street. Nothing to worry about - yet. He squinted at the hastily sketched map again. Oh, right. Down this way. Riverside Way? An unexpectedly picturesque place name for the slums. For Midgar in general. At least after this he could go and sleep for six hours or so before he had to be at the cafe for the morning crowd. Multiple jobs had not been something he anticipated earlier. "Gotta have a back-up plan." Especially when his meager savings only got him as far as Junon to try signing up to SOLDIER. Getting to Midgar had severely dented his finances further than he would have liked. "Gotta stop fixating on that," Cloud muttered.

The slums were never truly dark, not with so many light sources reflecting off the underside of the plates, but Riverside Way seemed gloomier than most. Was that a river nearby? Cloud peered into the darkness towards the sound of rushing water but could not make out much beyond a rising mass nearby. "Number One," he said to himself with a smile. Only house on the street. Still, for a slum dwelling this area seemed absurdly nice. He had not seen any litter, there were neither gangs nor monsters in the nearby vicinity, and the path to the house might have actually been gravel based on the crunch beneath his boots. "Ritzy." There was another scent, only just detectable under the sledgehammer thickness of the mako. Something both unfamiliar and at the same time aggravatingly familiar. No. No time to worry about that. Get the pizza delivered, get home, sleep, get up again. At least he was here now.

Cloud rapped on the door and waited. He glanced up as the door opened and forgot what he was going to say. A girl - about his age - stood framed in the doorway. She was wearing a pink summer dress, her eyes a bright green. Her cheeks looked flushed, stray wisps of hair escaping a braid topped off with a pink ribbon. She had a streak of mud on her nose. On her cheeks. More across the bodice of her dress and right down onto the skirt. "Pizza!" she exclaimed, her gaze dropping to the box Cloud held. "How much?"

"Um." Cloud blinked, trying very hard not to stare at her. "Eleven-fifty," he said a little awkwardly.

The girl blinked at him and stared at the note she had in her muddied hand. "Awww, I thought I ordered the medium... Never mind! Hang on." She darted away from the door, rummaging nearby. Cloud's stared after her through the open door. He found himself staring at a table directly opposite the door. Were those flower pots on it? Flower pots with actual flowers in them? A whole cluster of them nestled on the table top, clumps of soil and mud surrounding them and spilling down onto the floor. She had been growing flowers?

"Here you go," the girl said, holding two notes out; ten and five gil.

"Oh, sure," Cloud said. He handed her the box and took the money. He stared at the notes for a moment. "Change, change," he muttered as he delved in his pocket.

"Keep it," the girl said, watching him. Did she just look him up and down? "And thank you."

"Oh. No problem." He raised his hand. "And thank you. Enjoy your pizza," Cloud said distractedly as he turned away. He caught another smile from her as she pushed the door closed. Cloud started walking away and stopped. He glanced back at the closed door. She could grow plants? Wait. That was it. That was the smell. Cloud stumbled to a halt. The strange scent; flowers. Curious. Cloud shook his head and trailed home to Sector Four.

* * *

The girl kept popping into his head through the next day as he worked the morning shift at the cafe. Cloud tried not to dwell on her and focus getting through the current job. He was there from seven, traffic ramping up as the time drifted towards nine. Then the cut-off as the morning rush finished and those still interested in coffee were in less of a frenzy to get their caffeine fix. The morning passed easy enough and Cloud had a chance to grab some lunch before he jogged to the Midgull Week depot to pick up his back-breaking stack of free papers - the ones clearly visible a day or two later littering the slums. It was almost a disappointment when it was time to head to Pizza Pi - as the owner's former Shinra mathematician wife had dubbed the place - and find there was no order for Riverside Way as yet. Nor was there one as the evening wore on. Of course not. Why did he think she subsisted on pizza?

* * *

Two months passed and by chance the address came up again. Riverside Way. Two pizzas this time. Cloud was oddly pleased it was his turn to head out this time as well and eagerly retraced his steps, feeling lighter. His spirits darkened as he entered Sector Five. The chances of her recognizing him were effectively nil. Even with that, what could he possibly hope from this encounter? Keeping the change again? She was... well, whoever she was. Someone who seemed to be able to grow plants. Or something of a con artist. Either way; he remained nothing more than a courier, ferrying hot, cheesy food - two lots of it this time - to her. That was the beginning and end of his role and their relationship. Depressing really. Not that he had much to compare it to; outside of his mother and Pizza Pi's slightly eccentric owner, he never had much chance to talk to girls. It all seemed so complicated and easy to mess up. Deliver food, get home, not think about her. Easy plan. Cloud knocked on the door.

"Hello? Oh! Hi!" The girl said smiling at him as she opened the door.

"Pizza," Cloud said, trying not to smile back.

"Nice to see you again," she said.

Cloud paused, considering his next response. "It's... It's nice to see you too?"

The girl regarded him for a moment. "How are you?"

"Me?" Cloud blinked. "I'm... I'm okay I suppose. Are you? You expecting company for these-" He hefted the pizza boxes. "-Or you going to eat them both yourself?"

"Tempting, but I'm sure I'd regret both in the morning," she said staring at the boxes. She looked up at him. "They're not both for me you know," she added.

"I kinda figured," Cloud said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

The girl laughed. "One's for me and one's for my boyfriend." Cloud's heart sank.

"Oh?" he said trying to keep his voice level, hoping the disappointment did not show on his face.

"Yep! He's due home today and... It's not the best celebration but we went for pizza on our first date, and... Well. He'll be travelling all day, so I doubt he'll be in the mood to go out. So pizza. Makes sense right?" the girl said.

"Well, yeah..." Cloud said. He glanced around. "Guess I better get out of the way before he gets there then."

"Aw, you don't need to just run off. But I guess... Other deliveries?" Cloud nodded. "Figures. Oh, money!" She fumbled in something beside the door and pulled out a few notes. "Let's see.... Oh. Just take it and forget about the change!" The girl thrust the notes at him, her excitement almost palpable.

"Thanks," Cloud said, bewildered again. A whole extra ten gil. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" The girl said, taking the pizza boxes. "Thanks for this. And who knows? Maybe I'll see you next time I order pizza?"

"That'd be good," Cloud grinned. "Have fun," he added.

The girl smiled. "I will. See you!"

Cloud's own smile faded a little way down the path. Of course she had a boyfriend.

* * *

A month later and Riverside Way came up again. Undyne - the owner - waved him to pause as he grabbed for the box. "Cloud? You been flirting or something?"

Cloud blinked. "I, er... What?"

Undyne peered at an order slip. "You know we have that option - special requests when someone orders a pizza, right?"

"Right," Cloud said with a frown, not sure where this was going.

"So, the order from Riverside Way reads - and I quote: 'Please send the spikey, blonde-haired cutie'." Cloud felt his cheeks flush as Undyne stared at him. "I can only surmise she meant you."

"Ah, yeah, um," Cloud said.

"So. Been flirting?"

"Me? No. I just talked to her a bit. Besides she has a boyfriend," Cloud stressed.

Undyne looked at the note again. "Huh. Ah well. Better get going anyway. You know the rules - if it takes too long they get it free. And that-" She pointed at him. "-means it comes out of your wages." Cloud grimaced.

The phrase blonde-haired cutie refused to leave his head as he trekked over to the girl's house. No. It did not necessarily mean anything. But it might. Had she been thinking about him? Had he somehow made an impression on her? But how did her boyfriend figure into this? He shook his head. Trying to preempt the situation was never going to work. He would have to take this as it came. He smiled in advance as he knocked on the door. The girl answered, looking downcast. "Hi," she said. "I didn't know if they'd really send you or not."

"Customer satisfaction is very important to us," Cloud said, frowning. "Are... are you okay?"

"I've been better," the girl said as she leant against the door frame and fiddled with the door handle. She sighed. "I feel kinda silly I actually tried asking for you - even though it clearly worked. I mean, I don't even know your name."

"Cloud," he replied helpfully.

"Cloud..." The girl mused. "It's a nice name. I'm Aeris."

"It's... nice too?" Cloud tried, wincing as he spoke.

Aeris smiled. "Thank you." She fell silent.

"So," Cloud said, fidgeting. "How did things go with your boyfriend?" He caught her twitch. Bad question.

"He... never made it," she said with a heavy sigh.

"Oh," Cloud replied. "He get delayed?"

"Probably. I was hoping he'd call, but..." Aeris shook her head. "Nothing." She smiled abruptly. "I actually wound up eating both those pizzas myself." Cloud grinned. "Well. Mom helped me out as well. but..."

"I'm sure your boyfriend's just run into a problem," Cloud said. "I mean, it's been... Oh. A month?" Aeris nodded. "And nothing?" She nodded again. "Um. Sorry to pry, but just what does he... do?"

"He's in SOLDIER." And had succeeded where he had failed it seemed. "One of the First Class division."

"I'm sure he's fine," Cloud blurted. Aeris blinked at him. "I, er, heard that missions can overrun."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Might as well come clean. "I... I applied for the program. And didn't make it." Aeris said nothing, but continued to quietly watch him until he spoke again. "Picked up some stuff though while I was there though. Seems it's entirely possible for SOLDIERs to get re-assigned right after other missions. And there's all the clandestine stuff they have to do and..." He trailed off. "So. He might have been on his way home and got re-routed. And not able to tell you for security reasons."

"I... I kinda wondered but..." Aeris grinned. "Thanks Cloud. That... that helps."

"Anytime." He hefted the box. "Guess you'll have to eat this alone though."

"Yeah. But... I can cope." She handed him two notes. "Don't worry about the change. You earned it. See you around, Cloud," Aeris said.

"See you, Aeris."

* * *

Aeris - resident of One Riverside Way along with her Mom - ordered a pizza once a month for the next five months. Always asking for Cloud to make the delivery - Undyne raising an eyebrow now her requests mentioned him by name.

"Hi, Cloud!" Aeris said as she pulled the door open the first month .

"Hi, Aeris," he replied. "Pizza!" he winced. Terrible start.

"As always." She grinned. "You still doing okay?" she asked.

"Aside from too many jobs, not enough money... Yeah. I'm okay," Cloud replied.

"I know that feeling," she said. "Think I'm going to have to head up to the plate to sell my flowers tomorrow."

"You... sell... flowers?" Cloud asked blinking.

"Uh-huh," Aeris said, nodding.

"Real flowers?"

"Yes...?" Aeris said slowly. "Oh, did I never mention that?"

Explained the flowerpots. He shook his head. "Though we haven't talked all that much..." Cloud noted.

"We should! Well; I grow and sell flowers - as I said. Only one in the city. Now, I know there are other flower girls-" Cloud had seen them in other sectors, scraping a living with wilted, faded flowers. From what he understood, companies in the upper city imported blossoms from outside the city and a certain proportion of the less impressive blooms made their way down to the slums. Other sellers might be making specific trips out through the surrounding desert to where the grasslands started near Kalm for all he knew. "-but I'm the only one growing them here."

"And you sell them?" Cloud asked.

Aeris nodded. "Helps keep us going at least. And gives me enough for a pizza and a nice chat once a month." Aeris winked at him and Cloud could feel his cheeks reddening.

Cloud glanced around the darkened area. "So this..." he wave at the vague shapes just about visible in the gloom. "This is where you grow them?"

"There are some here, but most I keep someplace else," Aeris said. "So, how about you? I mean, I know you deliver pizza - obviously - but you said you had other jobs?"

Cloud smiled. "Pizza's one of the better ones. And grocery delivery. Outside of that I work in a cafe in the next sector. And I get to deliver the Midgull Week."

"Oh, that thing!" She looked away and side-eyed him. "I, er, never read it. It's just good for lining my basket and packing flower pots."

"It's fine," Cloud said smiling. "It's not like I write for it - I just deliver them. At least you do something with it; most people seem to throw it straight out again." He shifted the box in his hands. "Don't want your pizza to get too cold though, right?" he asked.

Aeris glanced at it. "I don't know; cold pizza is a delicacy. I could just let it get cold straight off."

"Kinda tempting, but hot pizza's good too," Cloud replied.

Aeris smiled. "Guess I should pay you and let you get back to work." She dug out a few notes. "Here you go. And the change is yours! See you next month," she said.

"See you," Cloud replied.

* * *

Four more deliveries over the next four months. Four more short conversations with Aeris as he stood in her doorway, fresh pizza in hand. Four more more months during which her boyfriend failed to either reappear or even assure her he was okay. Was he okay? This unknown quantity he thought of occasionally - a person-shaped hole existing close to the girl he seemed to have struck up a friendship with. SOLDIER missions could overrun - that much he had heard before. But outside of the Wutai war, nothing should have kept him away this long. And Shinra had been less than subtle about their protracted and allegedly glorious battle against the country. A secret war maybe? Cloud shrugged.

Six months since Aeris ordered two pizzas. The end of the month rolled around and Undyne smirkingly called him over with her order. Two pizzas. He was back then. Hopefully it would make Aeris feel better. She had grown a little more despondent each month in the absence of 'him' and Cloud's assertions that he must be okay had begun ringing increasingly hollow. At least his optimism had won out. Well, just enough time to wish her well, hope she had a nice evening and get out of there.

Tears were streaming down Aeris's face as she opened the door. "Hi Cloud," she sniffed.

"Aeris! What's wrong?"

"Zack... My boyfriend," she clarified with a further sniff.

"Has something happened?" Cloud asked.

"No. Nothing. Six months and nothing." She slumped against the door-frame again, her hands clasping each other awkwardly. "I don't think he's coming back..."

"He must be," Cloud said.

"No." Aeris shook his head. "Too long."

"Then..." Cloud glanced at the pizza boxes. "These both for you?"

"Yes... and no," she said and glanced up at him. "Cloud... you're my friend, right?"

"I... I think so," Cloud said, frowning. He shook his head. "Yeah. Yeah. I am."

"Then... Could you stay with me for a bit? Just keep me company? I..." She grinned sadly. "I bought you a pizza."

"This is for me?" Cloud asked. Aeris nodded and Cloud blinked. "Uh. Sure. If it's what you want..."

Aeris nodded again. "Please. Come in." She stepped away from the door and after stamping his boots on the mat, Cloud walked past her. It was warm inside the house, the Mako stench outside almost masked by mix of floral scents. Vases of flowers stood on surfaces all around the open plan downstairs. "If you could take your boots off... Oh! You don't need to make any more deliveries do you?"

Cloud shook his head. Sleep and be up in about five hours time, but... "No. I'll be fine." Aeris smiled. She crossed to a sofa and pulled her legs up onto the cushion with her. Cloud followed, sitting on the opposite end and leaving a space between them. The coffee table seemed miles away.

"Where should I put these?" he asked hefting the boxes. "I don't think you want grease stains on the furniture."

"Ah! I have just the thing," Aeris said. She darted away and came back with a Midgull Week issue she spread on the cushion between them. "There." Flicking the television on, she curled onto her cushion again. Cloud opened the first pizza box.

"You want to have one each or share both?" Cloud asked.

"Either. Both the same - we have similar taste in pizza remember?" Aeris said. She took a slice from the box and turned to the television as she ate.

"Do... Do you want to talk about it?" Cloud asked after eating two slices of pizza in near silence. "I mean, I don't know if I can help any, but I can listen."

"There's... there's so little to say. Last time he talked he said he'd be back on the 29th, so I ordered pizza for him. I've tried calling him and nothing. I... I could ask SOLDIER directly I suppose but..." She trailed off and stared at half-eaten slice in her hand.

"But?" Cloud prompted.

"I'm not the greatest fan of Shinra," she said, a bitter tone in her voice. "And I'd rather not go to them like that."

Cloud nodded. "Fair enough. I-"

"I don't think he's dead though," Aeris said frowning. She took another bite of pizza, chewing slowly. "He's not dead," she repeated, oddly insistent. "Unless..." She shook her head. "But he's not here either. I think... I think..." Her eyes watered and her hand trembled. "I think he ran off with someone else." She dropped the pizza back in the box and clasped both hands over her face.

"Hey... I-" Cloud realized that neither of her options were precisely good. Stress he was alive - and therefore cheating on his girlfriend with someone other. Or go with he might be dead and therefore not assuredly not cheating on her. And dead. That sounded even worse. The third option - slim hope - was that he was genuinely still on a mission or in a succession of overlapping missions. Aeris sniffed, wiping her eyes as he explained the possibility. "And - sad to say - only Shinra would be able to tell you if that is the case. They might not - especially given he can't get in touch with you like this."

Aeris shuffled around to face him. "So. Keep on hoping he'll come back?" she asked.

Cloud nodded. "Not much else I can suggest," he said with a shrug.

Aeris retrieved her pizza and took another bite. She nodded after a moment. "Sounds the best I could hope for," she said. "Thank you, Cloud."

"My pleasure." The tone of the evening lifted dramatically after that and they ate through both pizzas as they idly flipped through channels and chatted. Aeris eventually ushered him out of the house at 1 am with a promise to see him next month.

* * *

For the next six months Aeris ordered two pizzas, insisted Cloud deliver them and upon arriving would ask him to hang around with her. They talked, joked, watched the television and ate pizza. Cloud asked after Zack each time and Aeris would always reply that there had been nothing more. And as time went on her faith in Cloud's excuse seemed to dwindle and the notion that Zack had left her grew stronger and stronger. At least it was better than thinking he was dead, but her certainty on that being impossible was somewhat curious.

One year after the first delivery to Riverside Way and Aeris. Cloud was waiting in Pizza Pi for Aeris to place her order. The time always varied a little; Aeris was off selling flowers and depending on how business went affected how early or late her call would be. And from that whether they would watch a film or just idly see what Shinra was putting out over the airwaves. Today was kind of a slow day for him - happenstance meant that he had no shifts at his other jobs leaving him with little to do. Maybe Undyne had some overtime for him? She let him wait in the back room but promised him nothing; no one really asked for pizzas this early. Cloud sighed and flipped through a magazine as he waited for the evening to hurry up. The bell on the door went but he paid it no mind. Carry-out orders did not involve him.

"Hey," Undyne said.

"Hi," a voice replied. A very familiar voice. Cloud dropped the magazine. It couldn't be. Could it?

"What can I do for you?" Undyne asked as Cloud walked through to the counter. Aeris was studying the menu, a wicker basket in the crook of her arm. She glanced at him as he approached and smiled.

"I'm looking for... a blonde. Blue eyes and spiky hair," she said smiling at him.

Undyne cracked a smile. "I don't believe we serve that here. But we do have this guy." She jerked her thumb over her should. "Answers to the name of 'Cloud'."

"Hi," Cloud said feeling a little embarrassed. "I didn't expect to see you here... Or this early?" He blinked. "Did something happen?"

"Sort of," Aeris said. "I figured something out."

"Ah," Cloud said. "I thought maybe Zack had been in touch."

"No. Still nothing. Well. It's a bit related, but..." she trailed off and glanced at Undyne.

"I ain't running a restaurant here lady. You're pretty good regular business, but if you're not going to buy anything you really should leave," Undyne said her voice stern. Cloud frowned. It looked like she was trying hard to fight back a smile.

"Undyne-" Cloud began.

"But you should take this one with you," Undyne said as she broke into a large grin. "He's got the night off."

"Wait, what?" Cloud protested.

"He does?" Aeris said sounding elated. "That's great news."

Undyne prodded him in the small of his back. "Go," she murmured. "Have fun. And just bear in mind that you owe me a shift for this." Cloud was unsure how to even respond. An extra shift was not much of a penance.

"Thank you," Aeris said to Undyne as she bowed. "I'll call back for pizza another time - well, as long as I can keep borrowing Cloud?"

"Sure," Undyne replied waving. "You can have him for now." She winked at Cloud as he followed Aeris out the door.

"Okay..." Cloud said once they were outside. "Um?"

"Care to keep me company?" Aeris asked. He nodded. "About Zack," she began as they walked away from Pizza Pi. "It's been almost a year now since we last saw each other."

"That long?" Cloud asked, surprised. He had been living in Midgar over a year already?

Aeris nodded. "And nothing. Seriously nothing. I know you look at things really optimistically - and so could I for a while - but I can't keep going. I can't believe whatever he's doing has dragged on so long. So he's not come back. And he's not come back for a reason."

Cloud tried to think of an acceptable assurance. "...it... it does seem odd," he admitted eventually.

"Yeah. And maybe I'm wrong about why, but..." She shrugged. "I've decided to stop waiting." She said it with an unexpected certainty.

"What... what if he does come back?" he asked.

"Too late." Aeris smiled. "I mean; maybe there's some other reason he's been away. Maybe... maybe he really is dead. But... I can't just keep on waiting for him and hoping. He was great but..." Aeris sighed and smiled at him. "Anyway! I wanted to thank you; I know you were just doing your job, but you did more. I mean, I don't think your boss pays you to talk to me all those times or spend time with me... I... I really enjoyed doing that." Her finger curled in one of her ringlets.

"So did I," Cloud admitted, feeling his cheeks flush.

"So..." Aeris glanced up at him. "Would you like to spend more time with me?"

"Yes." He blinked. The answer had come so easily.

"I hoped you'd say that. And so... would you like to come have dinner with me?" Aeris asked.

"Not pizza?" Cloud asked.

Aeris giggled. "No. Pizza's great and all, but I had something else in mind. Pizza we can have some other time. For now, I want something else. Kinda more... date-like."

Had she just...? "Are... are you asking me on a date?"

"Yep!" Aeris said. "And I'm really hoping you're going to say yes."

He could not help the grin that formed on his lips. "I think I'm definitely going to say yes. I want to have dinner with you."

Aeris smiled and hooked her arm around his. "Then it's settled. You... you do like barbecue don't you?"

"I do," he replied, glad his voice was not trembling.

"Then; let's go! I know this great place in Sector Six..."

**Author's Note:**

> Undyne was originally just a placeholder name, but then it kind of stuck and Alphys wound up getting implied there too.
> 
> So, what happened at Nibelheim? Two versions! The first is that events more or less ran the same up until Zack’s injury at the reactor. Things get a little fiddly here. Either Sephiroth continues to offer entreaties to Jenova’s body or else he cuts her head off same as always. Either way, he can walk out of the reactor without injury. Zangan can rescue Tifa and Hojo likely captures Zack. Not sure if Sephiroth is also taken at this point or he manages to flee the town with Jenova’s head in hand. Critical part here is that Sephiroth neither knows nor has any intention of seeking Meteor - he’s not learned that via the Lifestream.
> 
> So possibly Sephiroth can continue his very hands on human eradication program under the belief he is a Cetra or Hojo captures him or the Shinra army get a sharpshooter to take him out. Zack doesn’t come out of that well! He probably would escape and then his next actions depend very much on whether Jenova is shipped to the Shinra building.
> 
> Or!
> 
> Zack struggles to his feet in the reactor as Sephiroth leaves and more or less replicates Cloud’s last ditch attempt to stop him. He succeeds and Sephiroth winds up in the mako. From there events more or less play out as in canon - except Zack is on his own in the trip to Midgar. And it’s entirely possible he survives this time. But, he’s unable to resist the lure of Jenova and goes right to the Shinra building and triggers Sephiroth as in canon. Not sure after this.


End file.
